1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus with an antenna device and a solar panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, onboard GPS (Global Positioning System) car navigation devices/portable handy GPS receivers have been widely put to practical use at inexpensive prices. In addition, miniaturization of the GPS receivers and their reception modules has been advanced by the technical advancement of digital communications and/or mobile device communications as well as miniaturization of electric parts due to curtailment and/or miniaturization of dielectric ceramic and/or ferroelectric materials. Furthermore, various portable subminiature GPS receivers and position detecting systems of a wristwatch type have been proposed. In this type of general use GPS receivers, a patch type flat antenna or a cylindrical helical antenna housed in a housing independent of the receiver or a patch type antenna housed in a housing of the receiver.
Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 8-213819 discloses a wristwatch in which a watch case contains a patch type antenna device comprising a plate-shaped dielectric, a plate-shaped radiation conductor provided on a front surface of the dielectric, a plate-shaped grounding conductor provided on a back surface of the dielectric, and electric feeding members electrically connected to the radiation conductor. And, a frequency adjustment plate is further provided on the front surface of the radiation conductor through another dielectric.
Recently, from a standpoint of ecology, wristwatches which use electric power generated by a solar panel have a large percentage of the watches of all types. Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-289970 discloses a solar panel and a circuit board both of which are disposed in a back side of a watch glass of the wristwatch in a wristwatch case. In this wristwatch, the solar panel and the circuit board are electrically connected with each other by electric connection members such as coil springs at an outer periphery of the solar panel.
When a patch type antenna device and a solar panel are provided coaxially in a superimposing manner within a wristwatch case and the solar panel and a circuit board are electrically connected at the outer periphery of the solar panel with electrical connection members, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-289970, the solar panel must be larger in outer size than the antenna device. As a result, an outer periphery of the plate-shaped dielectric is covered with the solar panel.
In addition, if electrode pads that feed electric charges generated by the solar panel to the circuit board are provided at a position just near the outer periphery of the plate-shaped dielectric, the following big problems are caused. That is, the electrode pads of the solar panel would adversely influence a remarkably strong radiation electric field of the outer periphery of the plate-shaped dielectric, and lowers a reduction in an antenna gain.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic apparatus with an antenna device and a solar panel, which is capable of preventing a reduction in the antenna gain securely and easily.